Mobile’s New Power Couple: PWA and AMP

We’ve been talking about the mobile web for a while now. Before the smartphone took over, users could use a modified web browser on their phones to render slow, frustrating versions of the desktop experience. In 2007, with the proliferation of the smartphone, a browser began rendering the full experience.

Soon, everyone got on board and organizations began creating mobile versions of their site. However, inefficient and clunky infrastructure left users dependent on their desktop. Finally, the mobile web reached a point of maturation with the creation of Responsive Web Design. Using the same code for desktop and mobile and controlling for preferences, development became more efficient but mobile speed became a problem for both consumers and enterprises alike.

More Opportunity, Less Patience

According to a recent survey commissioned by WP Engine, there are 3 billion smartphone users in the world. The consequences of not providing a superior digital experience for users have never been greater. Companies risk mass customer exodus and/or millions in lost revenue. A one-second delay in page load speed results in a seven percent conversion loss with an 11 percent drop in page views.

With such staggering statistics, you’d expect enterprises to prioritize mobile experiences. However, only 17% of surveyed enterprises said that they have an average website load time on mobile devices of under 2 seconds. In fact, nearly a third of respondents said that it takes an average of 5 seconds or longer for their website to load.

AMP is Born

Started by Google in 2015, AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) was created with the goal of making load times on mobile devices significantly faster. Relating to the speed with which users can load landing pages, AMP works by loading exactly what is needed to render a requested page. This sped up mobile efficiency by nearly 4x.

AMP proved to be the smartest way to invest in mobile performance. According to the survey, AMP was among the least expensive solutions to implement ($189,991 on average), required the shortest development time and the fewest developers.

An Alternative to the App Store

AMP was effectively loading up landing pages faster and more efficiently than previous technology, but what about the rest of the website? Consumers desired a top-notch mobile ecommerce experience; they wanted to search for products, add to their cart, manage their points, use coupons, etc. AMP provided a preview by delivering content quickly, but users wanted a place to experience the whole story.

That’s where PWA (Progressive Web Apps) come in. What AMP does for landing pages, PWAs do for the rest of the website. AMP brings users in, ensuring consumers reach your landing page quickly without bouncing, while PWAs allow for immersive and complex shopping experiences that keep users on your site and improve conversions. AMP gets customers on your site and PWAs keep them there.

Used by themselves, these technologies provide meaningful improvement to the mobile experience. Used together, the mobile shopping experience is no less enjoyable than shopping on your desktop. The result is speedy sites, improved SEO, and more ROI.

The State of Mobile in the Enterprise

A new international study commissioned by WP Engine and conducted by Vanson Bourne explores the motives and mobile solutions that enterprise organizations are using today to connect with today’s increasingly mobile-first consumer.

The survey of IT and marketing decision-makers found:

Less than a third of enterprises would rate their digital experience as superior